Thank The Lord: Researchers Say Red Wine Might Actually Help Burn Fat

As if you needed another reason to drink wine, researchers at Oregon State, the University of Florida and the University of Nebraska have done in-depth research into the benefits of grapes.

They found the intake of grapes in both wine and juice form may help burn fat, meaning it could improve the health of overweight people -- and serve as yet another reason to add that Merlot to your grocery list.

Research has already shown that a glass of red wine can be as effective as going to the gym, so you can add these new findings to your list of reasons to indulge in a glass of wine, guilt free.

The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry,took a look at overweight mice. (Okay, so this hasn't been totally proven for humans yet, but science is getting there.)

Research showed that mice who were fed muscadine grapes, which are typically used in the making of red wine, stored less fat in their tiny mouse livers and, therefore, had lower blood sugar levels.

Co-author of the study, Neil Shay basically sums up why you should buy more wine:

If you're out food shopping, and if you know a certain kind of fruit is good for a health condition you have, wouldn't you want to buy that fruit?

We're reading between the lines and replacing the word "fruit" with "wine."

The authors of the study believe certain chemicals in the grape, such as ellargic acid, are responsible for these fat-burning effects.

These chemicals slow the growth of fat cells by binding to receptors that metabolize sugar and fat.

So raise your glass because it looks like wine might be as magical as we always thought (in moderation, of course).